LSD

LSD profoundly alters and expands consciousness by loosening or removing the normal ‘filters’ between the conscious mind and the outside world. You may sense and feel more and become aware of things normally filtered out by your mind -- visual, auditory, sensory and emotional. At higher doses your senses may begin to merge and overlap until it feels like you can see sounds or smell colours.

LSD is a powerful chemical and you should be very careful to take the right dose. Taking too much increases your chance of having a bad trip or overdose.

LSD is active at very small quantities and a single ‘dose’ or ‘tab’ of LSD can vary widely in strength. A 100 microgram dose is a good starting point if you have never taken LSD before and should provide a calm and opening experience. Don’t use LSD unless you are very confident of the quality and dose you have. Use a source that someone you know has also used and can vouch for.

Taking too much LSD can interrupt your brain’s chemical stability.

The psychological symptoms of having taken too much (LSD toxicity) include: panic attacks, suicidal or murderous thoughts, severe depression, fear of dying or going insane. These symptoms generally pass within 24 hours.

Physical symptoms include: vomiting, breathing difficulties, seizures, high body temperature, irregular heartbeat, bleeding in the brain.

Call 111 if you or someone else is experiencing these symptoms.

If you are…

• using more LSD than you want to
• finding it hard to stop using LSD
• missing school, work or family commitments because of LSD use
• always thinking about LSD
• feeling like your current LSD use is making you become someone you never saw yourself as being

…then you may be starting to experience substance use disorder.

You might want to talk with a GP or drug and alcohol counsellor about your drug use. You can also call the Alcohol and Drug Helpline on 0800 787 797 for confidential, non-judgemental expert advice. It’s free and open 24 hours.

If you just want to cut down, you could start by buying less so you use less or by using a smaller amount than usual.

Tabs of NBOMe, which is a very dangerous synthetic drug, are often sold as LSD.  If you have purchased what you thought was LSD and want to check whether it is in fact NBOMe, you can use a reagent testing kit to check what chemicals or compounds are present. These work by you dropping a chemical solution onto a portion of your substance. Colour changes to the reagent will indicate the presence of other chemicals.